Drawing from a mutual obsession with the Southern Ocean, friends Nat Anderson (Painter) and Jake Plumridge (Photographer and Film maker) have come together to bring a unique and immersive view of the sea to Boom. Ocean will feature works by both artists, drawn from Jake’s incredible ‘up close and personal’ ocean photography that celebrates the surf coast’s many beautiful breaks. Growing up in Geelong with the ocean as a playground, Jake knows intimately each stretch of beach and ocean that can deliver what he seeks for the perfect shot – the exact location and hour will see Jake in the water ready to catch the rising or setting sun behind a wave (challenging for our south facing coastline). Jake knows things – like the angle of the sun, the tides..even the risks. Some of his shots are pure whimsy! Some are accidental amazingness but most are carefully planned using this knowledge of the sea and how it moves. The resulting images are as moving as they are hard-earned. Taking a the perfect shot whilst ignoring the crab that is hanging off your foot is more than just photography – its more like communing with the sea. Given this, a collaboration with Nat was always on the cards. The ocean is a common and well loved motif in her work but this time, inspired by Jake’s ‘in the water’ perspective, she has been challenged to play with focus, colour, and technique to explore what makes us believe in what we see. Ready for a break from the expansive skies and vistas that take a somewhat more removed view of the landscape, these paintings zoom in. They unashamedly play with and borrow from photography and deconstruct the complex into the elemental. These are paintings clearly conceived and birthed in a digital era and yet the subject matter is all natural. Paired back to the physical phenomena in light, water, space and wave – the work invites you in for closer inspection. Both Jake and Nat are pushing the 2D image so that this is more than about something that looks nice on the wall. They want viewers to feel the surge of the current, the power in the ocean as they float half-submerged at water level. “We want people to experience immersion.”
